New Boston Space Force Station: Difference between revisions
m Garuda28 moved page New Boston Air Force Station to New Boston Space Force Station |
Minor updates, photos |
||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
| nearest_town = [[New Boston, New Hampshire]] |
| nearest_town = [[New Boston, New Hampshire]] |
||
| country = [[United States]] |
| country = [[United States]] |
||
| image = File:New |
| image = File:New Boston from gate.jpg |
||
| alt = |
| alt = |
||
| caption = |
| caption = New Boston Space Force Station |
||
| image2 = [[File:Emblem of the Peterson-Schriever Garrison.svg|100px]] |
| image2 = [[File:Emblem of the Peterson-Schriever Garrison.svg|100px]] |
||
| alt2 = |
| alt2 = |
||
| Line 49: | Line 49: | ||
| battles = |
| battles = |
||
| events = |
| events = |
||
| current_commander = |
| current_commander = [[Lieutenant Colonel (United States)|Lt. Col.]] David Zesinger |
||
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) --> |
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) --> |
||
| garrison = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group --> |
| garrison = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group --> |
||
| Line 56: | Line 56: | ||
| website = |
| website = |
||
| footnotes = <!-- catchall in case it's needed to preserve something in infobox that doesn't work in new code --> |
| footnotes = <!-- catchall in case it's needed to preserve something in infobox that doesn't work in new code --> |
||
|image_size=280px}} |
|||
}} |
|||
'''New Boston Space Force Station''' is a [[United States Space Force]] facility located in [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire|Hillsborough County]] in south central [[New Hampshire]]. It was transferred from the [[United States Air Force]] to the Space Force in the summer of 2020.<ref>[https://granitegeek.concordmonitor.com/2020/11/18/space-force-comes-to-a-new-hampshire-town-with-a-weird-history-of-trying-to-overcome-gravity/ Granite Geek: "Space Force comes to a New Hampshire town"]</ref> |
'''New Boston Space Force Station''' is a [[United States Space Force]] facility located in [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire|Hillsborough County]] in south central [[New Hampshire]]. It was transferred from the [[United States Air Force]] to the Space Force in the summer of 2020.<ref>[https://granitegeek.concordmonitor.com/2020/11/18/space-force-comes-to-a-new-hampshire-town-with-a-weird-history-of-trying-to-overcome-gravity/ Granite Geek: "Space Force comes to a New Hampshire town"]</ref> The installation occupies more than {{convert|2800|acre|sqkm}} in three towns: [[New Boston, New Hampshire|New Boston]], [[Amherst, New Hampshire|Amherst]], and [[Mont Vernon, New Hampshire|Mont Vernon]]. It was originally established in 1942 as a practice area for bombers and fighter planes from nearby Grenier Army Air Field (now [[Manchester–Boston Regional Airport]]).<ref>[http://www.newbostonhistoricalsociety.com/joe.html New Boston Historical Society: "The Bombing of Joe English Pond"]</ref> Starting in 1959, it was turned into a satellite-tracking station, providing the facilities most prominent feature, the weatherproof [[Radome|radomes]] which dot the hillside.<ref>[https://www.fox21news.com/news/military-matters/fox21-goes-inside-the-new-boston-air-force-station-in-new-hampshire/ FOX21 goes inside the New Boston Air Force Station]</ref> Since 2020 the facility has also provided line of sight [[telemetry]] tracking for commercial space launches by [[SpaceX]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Epstein|first=Jeff|date=May 30, 2020|title=Lift-off! NH Air Force workers will be at their posts for historic SpaceX launch {{!}} Manchester Ink Link|url=https://manchesterinklink.com/nh-air-force-workers-will-be-at-their-posts-for-historic-spacex-launch/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-12|website=manchesterinklink.com}}</ref> |
||
New Boston SFS is operated by the [[23d Space Operations Squadron]] (23 SOPS), a geographically separated unit (GSU) of [[Space Delta 6]], part of [[Peterson-Schriever Garrison]] at [[Schriever Air Force Base]], Colorado, a garrison command of the U.S. Space Force. |
New Boston SFS is operated by the [[23d Space Operations Squadron]] (23 SOPS), a geographically separated unit (GSU) of [[Space Delta 6]], part of [[Peterson-Schriever Garrison]] at [[Schriever Air Force Base]], Colorado, a garrison command of the U.S. Space Force. |
||
| Line 64: | Line 64: | ||
== History == |
== History == |
||
The New Boston Space Force Station dates back to 1942, when Grenier Field in Manchester was preparing to meet the demands of World War II. |
The New Boston Space Force Station dates back to 1942, when [[Grenier Field]] in [[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester]] was preparing to meet the demands of World War II. |
||
On September 5, 1941, Colonel John Moore, commanding officer of the U.S. Army Air Corps at Grenier Field, wrote a letter proposing the government create a bombing range in New Boston near Joe English Pond. "The nature of the terrain around the pond is such that aerial bombing thereon would offer the elements of surprise, concealed approach and navigation to a point," Moore wrote. "It is believed that Joe English Hill (altitude 1,245 feet) would be a satisfactory stop for any ricochet bullets from ground machine gun targets." |
On September 5, 1941, Colonel John Moore, commanding officer of the U.S. Army Air Corps at Grenier Field, wrote a letter proposing the government create a bombing range in New Boston near Joe English Pond. "The nature of the terrain around the pond is such that aerial bombing thereon would offer the elements of surprise, concealed approach and navigation to a point," Moore wrote. "It is believed that Joe English Hill (altitude 1,245 feet) would be a satisfactory stop for any ricochet bullets from ground machine gun targets." |
||
| Line 75: | Line 75: | ||
"I'd watch from the kitchen window," 89-year-old Evelyn Barss told the [[The Telegraph (Nashua)|''Nashua Telegraph'']] newspaper in a 2005 story. "They would come in across the hill and drop their bombs and we would see them. These little black specks would go down, and you would hear a small discharge - they didn't use a lot of powder because it was scarce during the war." |
"I'd watch from the kitchen window," 89-year-old Evelyn Barss told the [[The Telegraph (Nashua)|''Nashua Telegraph'']] newspaper in a 2005 story. "They would come in across the hill and drop their bombs and we would see them. These little black specks would go down, and you would hear a small discharge - they didn't use a lot of powder because it was scarce during the war." |
||
[[File:New |
[[File:New boston air force station.jpg|thumb|245x245px|New Boston from above in 2014]] |
||
Roland Goodwin worked at the base on and off for three decades and he remembers seeing the tail fins of bombs sticking out of the pond. Planes at one time practiced dropping depth bombs for sinking submarines. |
Roland Goodwin worked at the base on and off for three decades and he remembers seeing the tail fins of bombs sticking out of the pond. Planes at one time practiced dropping depth bombs for sinking submarines. |
||
| Line 86: | Line 86: | ||
During the late 1970s and early 1980s it was known as Detachment 1 of the 2014th Communications Squadron located at [[Hanscom Air Force Base]] in [[Bedford, Massachusetts]]. |
During the late 1970s and early 1980s it was known as Detachment 1 of the 2014th Communications Squadron located at [[Hanscom Air Force Base]] in [[Bedford, Massachusetts]]. |
||
In 2021 |
In July 2021 the facility was renamed from New Boston Air Force Station to New Boston Space Force Station.<ref> https://twitter.com/schrieverafb/status/1414695764933103619?s=21 </ref> |
||
== Based units == |
== Based units == |
||
| Line 100: | Line 100: | ||
== Geography == |
== Geography == |
||
[[File:New Boston SFS sign.jpg|thumb|245x245px|The new installation sign during its redesignation ceremony]] |
|||
A few working farms are in the vicinity; however, most of the area is heavily wooded with pockets of residential development. Commercial development consists primarily of small shopping centers with a few office complexes along [[New Hampshire Route 101|NH State Route 101]] to the southeast. |
A few working farms are in the vicinity; however, most of the area is heavily wooded with pockets of residential development. Commercial development consists primarily of small shopping centers with a few office complexes along [[New Hampshire Route 101|NH State Route 101]] to the southeast. |
||
Revision as of 18:46, 14 July 2021
| New Boston Space Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Near New Boston, New Hampshire in United States | |
 New Boston Space Force Station | |
 Shield of the Peterson-Schriever Garrison | |
  New Boston SFS Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates | 42°56′32″N 71°38′10″W / 42.942350°N 71.636095°W |
| Type | US Space Force station |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Department of Defense |
| Operator | United States Space Force |
| Controlled by | Peterson-Schriever Garrison |
| Condition | Operational |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1959 – 1960 |
| In use | 1960 – 2019 (US Air Force) 2019 – present (US Space Force) |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Lt. Col. David Zesinger |
| Occupants | 23rd Space Operations Squadron |
New Boston Space Force Station is a United States Space Force facility located in Hillsborough County in south central New Hampshire. It was transferred from the United States Air Force to the Space Force in the summer of 2020.[1] The installation occupies more than 2,800 acres (11 km2) in three towns: New Boston, Amherst, and Mont Vernon. It was originally established in 1942 as a practice area for bombers and fighter planes from nearby Grenier Army Air Field (now Manchester–Boston Regional Airport).[2] Starting in 1959, it was turned into a satellite-tracking station, providing the facilities most prominent feature, the weatherproof radomes which dot the hillside.[3] Since 2020 the facility has also provided line of sight telemetry tracking for commercial space launches by SpaceX[4]
New Boston SFS is operated by the 23d Space Operations Squadron (23 SOPS), a geographically separated unit (GSU) of Space Delta 6, part of Peterson-Schriever Garrison at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, a garrison command of the U.S. Space Force.
History
The New Boston Space Force Station dates back to 1942, when Grenier Field in Manchester was preparing to meet the demands of World War II.
On September 5, 1941, Colonel John Moore, commanding officer of the U.S. Army Air Corps at Grenier Field, wrote a letter proposing the government create a bombing range in New Boston near Joe English Pond. "The nature of the terrain around the pond is such that aerial bombing thereon would offer the elements of surprise, concealed approach and navigation to a point," Moore wrote. "It is believed that Joe English Hill (altitude 1,245 feet) would be a satisfactory stop for any ricochet bullets from ground machine gun targets."
Eventually, land belonging to 16 families, 12 of them in New Boston, was taken at a cost of $23,200.
There was no electricity on site, and water had to be brought from Dodge's store in the center of New Boston. Nail kegs were used as chairs. Locals felt so sorry for the soldiers that they donated used furniture.
During World War II, local residents remember watching fighters and bombers train at the Air Force station and learned to recognize the sounds of strafing and bombing as they went about their tasks.
"I'd watch from the kitchen window," 89-year-old Evelyn Barss told the Nashua Telegraph newspaper in a 2005 story. "They would come in across the hill and drop their bombs and we would see them. These little black specks would go down, and you would hear a small discharge - they didn't use a lot of powder because it was scarce during the war."
Roland Goodwin worked at the base on and off for three decades and he remembers seeing the tail fins of bombs sticking out of the pond. Planes at one time practiced dropping depth bombs for sinking submarines.
"Every building we built down there in the early days ... we usually ran into a buried bomb of some kind. We'd have to bring people up from Fort Devens to detonate it." Ordnance has been detonated as late as 2010. [5]
After the war, the station took a lower profile. The bombing range was deactivated and after a long debate about the site's future, it became home to new satellite tracking antennas. The first antennas went up around 1960 and remain, protected by a geodesic dome resembling a golf ball about six stories high.
In previous years portions of the station have been open to fisherman, hunters, and loggers, but the station has been closed to most non-military personnel since the attacks of September 11.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s it was known as Detachment 1 of the 2014th Communications Squadron located at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts.
In July 2021 the facility was renamed from New Boston Air Force Station to New Boston Space Force Station.[6]
Based units
Notable units based at New Boston Air Force Station.[7]
United States Space Force
Space Operations Command (SpOC)
- Space Delta 6
23 SOPS is a Geographically Separate Unit, which although based at New Boston SFS, is subordinate to the Space Delta 6 based at Schriever AFB in Colorado.
Geography
A few working farms are in the vicinity; however, most of the area is heavily wooded with pockets of residential development. Commercial development consists primarily of small shopping centers with a few office complexes along NH State Route 101 to the southeast.
New Boston SFS consists mostly of undeveloped, forested land with extensive wetlands. Local, state, and federal laws governing the preservation of natural, cultural, and environmental resources play a major role in limiting development on and around the station.
The station lies within the Merrimack River watershed. Fourteen freshwater ponds fed by springs or streams, which occupy approximately 100 acres (405,000 m²), and seven miles (11 km) of streams exist on the station. The ponds are bordered by wetlands, and the streams by riparian vegetation. Riffle and pool habitats are favorable for many cold water fish species. Wetland types include freshwater emergent marshes of variable depths, wet meadows, shrub and deciduous wooded swamps such as red maple and black gum swamps, and a red spruce bog. This bog contains a deep peat layer.
Of all the water bodies on the station, only Joe English Pond appears on the list of protected water bodies under the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Comprehensive Shoreline Protection Act (CSPA).
References
- ^ Granite Geek: "Space Force comes to a New Hampshire town"
- ^ New Boston Historical Society: "The Bombing of Joe English Pond"
- ^ FOX21 goes inside the New Boston Air Force Station
- ^ Epstein, Jeff (May 30, 2020). "Lift-off! NH Air Force workers will be at their posts for historic SpaceX launch | Manchester Ink Link". manchesterinklink.com. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ U.S. Air Force: "2000 pound bomb detonated at New Boston" 20 October 2010
- ^ https://twitter.com/schrieverafb/status/1414695764933103619?s=21
- ^ "Units". Schriever AFB. US Space Force. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
External links
- 23rd Space Operations Squadron at New Boston AFS (fact sheet)
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NH-51, "New Boston Air Force Station, 317 Chestnut Hill Road, New Boston, Hillsborough County, NH", 16 data pages
- HAER No. NH-51-A, "New Boston Air Force Station, Boresight Tower", 2 photos, 9 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NH-51-B, "New Boston Air Force Station, Angle Tracker Antenna", 3 photos, 9 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
| Air Forces |  | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centers | |||||||||||||
| Bases | |||||||||||||
| Stations | |||||||||||||
| Space wings | |||||||||||||
| Air Base groups |
| ||||||||||||
| Squadrons |
| ||||||||||||